The present invention relates to apparatus for dispensing liquid soap, normally in discrete small quantities or charges. Such dispensing apparatus is used, particularly for hygienic purposes, in public or institutional washrooms or the like or wherever there are a relatively large number of different users.
There are currently known various types of liquid soap dispensers which consist of a combination of elements, which are generally fastened to a wall by means of screws or nails. In such prior art devices, the elements of the combination are so combined that whenever the apparatus breaks down or is damaged, it is necessary to remove the entire apparatus and to being it to a shop for necessary repair or servicing.
Furthermore, the soap-dispensing mechanism and/or the soap refilling openings of the apparatus are frequently accessible to users, whereby they may come in contact with the users' hands and will frequently become clogged or damaged, necessitating disassembly and removal of the apparatus for servicing. Furthermore, this accessibility of the soap-dispensing and soap-refilling apparatus renders the prior art devices susceptible to vandalism.
The supplier of the dispensing apparatus may also supply the liquid soap to be dispensed therefrom and, indeed, economically speaking, the sale of soap for the dispensing apparatus typically constitutes a most significant portion of the business. In addition, it is important that the supplier of the dispenser be able to control the type and quality of soap being dispensed therefrom, in order to insure that the dispenser will operate properly. However, prior art dispensers have had soap refill apparatus which permits anyone having access thereto to refill the dispenser with any type of liquid soap, whether or not supplied by the supplier of the dispenser, thus not only adversely affecting the volume of liquid soap sold by the supplier, but also rendering it impossible for the supplier to monitor the quality of the soap being dispensed, thereby aggravating maintenance problems.